The Arrangement
by Aquila Aqua
Summary: Kurosaki has been forced into a fake relationship with Senguuji Yamato at the behest of the latter's father. Will love grow between them or will they only hate each other. Not chronologically. Will span from the Holy Road finals to Resistance Japan with many flashbacks. Senguuji Yamato x fem!Kurosaki Makoto. (Since there are no tags for them, I'll just tag Gouenji and Saginuma.)
1. Replaced

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Inazuma Eleven GO/Galaxy.**

 **Author's note: Recently, I was rewatching Inazuma Eleven and Inazuma Eleven Go, and Kurosaki Makoto became my favorite character at the moment. And I ship Senguuji and (fem) Kurosaki. Therefore, I brainstormed this idea.**

 **Warning: Character may be ooc.**

* * *

Kurosaki was thrilled for the second half of the match to start. It was the finals of the Holy Road tournament and Seidouzan was facing Raimon. This was more than a match to determine which team is the strongest in the country, but also to prove whose ideal was right, Fifth Sector's vs Resistance's.

At this point however, Kurosaki felt that she could care less about anything other than playing against Raimon. Ishido Shuuji had expressed his confidence in them and allowed them to make their own decisions on the field to defeat Raimon. Part of her felt confuse because the order did not sound like what the Fifth Sector was about. However, the part that was excited to continue the match with Raimon overruled that.

Unfortunately, all that was dampened when an official whom Kurosaki recognized to be close to Senguuji Daigo appeared and stopped them in their path.

"I'm afraid that there has been a change in the coaches and players for Seidouzan. All of you are being replaced." The official smirked as his words drew shocked, disbelieving and indignant looks from Saginuma and the Seidouzan soccer team.

"What is the meaning of this?" Saginuma demanded. "There's no way Ishido-san will allow this!"

"It isn't. Someone higher than him had sanctioned it."

Kurosaki stiffened, realizing who they were talking about. At the same time, several players came in through another corridor. Her eyes narrowed when she recognized one of them and growled, startling her teammates. "Senguuji Yamato."

Said pink haired boy smirked down at her. "Kurosaki Makoto."

"You two know each other?" Masaki asked his captain, suspicion and rage barely concealed.

"You could say that." Senguuji answered before Kurosaki could.

Kurosaki clenched her jaw and made a small gesture at him. "If you don't mind, I think a private word with you is warranted."

"If it doesn't take too long for me get ready for the second half, I don't mind." Senguuji answered back with a careless wave.

Ignoring the looks of her teammates, Kurosaki led Senguuji back to Seidouzan's locker room and locked the door behind them. Once done, she spun on Senguuji with an angry look, something uncharacteristic of her. "What is the meaning of this? Why would your father replace us when we are already through with the first half?!"

Senguuji folded his arms across his chest with his infuriating, arrogant smirk. "You have to blame your coach and yourself on this one. If you had only followed the Fifth Sector's soccer thoroughly and crushed Raimon by now, my father would not have to find reason for Dragonlink to replace you."

"I don't believe you." Kurosaki hissed back.

"Call Ishido-san if you don't believe me." Senguuji said dismissively, leaning against one of the lockers looking bored. Reluctantly, the brunet captain pulled out her phone from her bag and dialed her coach's number despite the chances of him picking up are small. But he did.

 _"Kurosaki, what is it?"_

Kurosaki flinched at Ishido's sharp tone. "I'm sorry, Seitei. But is it true that we are being replaced by Dragonlink?"

Ishido was quiet on the line but when he spoke again, he sounded sorrowful and guilty. _"I'm sorry, Kurosaki. But as of now, I am no longer Seidouzan's coach. Senguuji Daigo will take over with Dragonlink. I'm sorry."_

Kurosaki's eyes became wide in shock and she lowered her phone, not caring if Ishido was still on the line. She snapped out of her shock when Senguuji plucked the phone out of her hand.

"Hey Ishido-san, give the phone to my dad."

There was a sound of surprise and displeasure on Ishido's side but the phone was soon passed to Senguuji's father.

"Give me back my phone!" Kurosaki tried to take her phone back but Senguuji shoveled her against one of the lockers, pinning her there with one hand while leaning away with the phone to his ear on the other side.

"Hey father…hm…yes…yes…don't worry, I'll be there in time…yes, she's with me…Ok, I'll tell her that." Senguuji hung up and slipped the phone into Kurosaki's pocket, careful to ignore her death glare. Surprisingly, the girl had a powerful death glare despite her calm, composed personality.

"What does your father want with me!?"

"Hm? Oh, dad asked me to tell you that after the Holy Road tournament, you have to represent your team tonight at the Fifth Sector gala where we will celebrate our victory against Raimon and the end of the Resistance...as my date, Mako-chan." Senguuji's smirk grew when Kurosaki grimaced at his pet name for her.

"You can't expect not to be invited. After all, Seidouzan is supposed to be the symbol of the Fifth Sector's power."

"Aren't you stripping that with Dragonlink?" Kurosaki hissed, struggling against Senguuji's grip that was keeping her pinned to the locker.

"We are still playing the match under Seidouzan. The team has been changed, but the name hasn't." Senguuji shrugged and sneered at her. "During the gala, we will final shut down Raimon and the Resistance. Also, we will expose Ishido Shuuji as a traitor to the Fifth Sector."

Kurosaki's eyes snapped wide open at the last part. "What do you mean!?"

"Ishido Shuuji is not who he says he is. His real identity is Gouenji Shuuya. His real motive for joining the Fifth Sector is to destroy it from within."

Senguuji could not deny that he enjoyed the look of betrayal that crossed Kurosaki's face. When she thought about it now, it was Ishido who taught her Bakunetsu Storm which is Gouenji Shuuya's hissatsu. Also, the way he told them to handle the second half was not something the Fifth Sector encouraged. Realization dawned on her that all this time Ishido-no, Gouenji, had been pushing them to real soccer under the guise of the Fifth Sector's soccer.

Leaning in closer, he whispered. "See, this is why your team has to be replaced. You are not a real symbol of the Fifth Sector. You are merely a stepping stone for him to accomplish his goals."

Without her realizing, Senguuji released her and was about to leave when Kurosaki said something that stopped him in his tracks.

"I had fun."

Senguuji instantly spun back around sharply. "What?"

Kurosaki lifted her head defiantly at him. "I had fun playing off against Raimon. I don't care if I was playing Fifth Sector soccer or real soccer. What matters is that my team and I had fun!"

This drew an annoyed look from Senguuji. "So?"

"Seitei-no, Gouenji-san and Raimon showed me how fun soccer can be. If they can do that, I am willing to bet that the more you underestimate them, the more painful your downfall will be."

Senguuji's face contorted into an angry glare and stormed back over to her. "Take that back!"

"Why should I?" Kurosak challenged, maintaining her defiant look. "You will lose to Raimon. And it's not because they are stronger than Dragonlink, but because their feelings for soccer is stronger."

In response, Senguuji slammed a fist on the locker, just inches above Kurosaki's head. "Oh, and how would you know? Fifth Sector's soccer will prevail and Raimon will be crushed by our hands." He clenched his other fist around Kurosaki's wrist tightly to prove his point.

With the death grip around her wrist, Kurosaki nearly cried out in pain but shoveled it down. She was not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her in pain. So she schooled her face into a neutral glare.

The two soccer players stared down at each other, unwilling to back down. Unfortunately for the goalkeeper, he had to admit defeat this time around if he wanted to get back in time for the second half to start.

Reluctantly, Senguuji broke off his glare and released Kurosaki. "The second half of the match is starting. Don't worry, I won't go easy on Raimon like you did and I will crush them. Keep in mind that the arrangement between the both of us will go on for as long as my father sees fit."

This snapped Kurosaki to attention when his last words registered in her mind. "It was supposed to lapse at the Holy Road Finals!"

"Not anymore." Senguuji casted her one more infuriating smirk before leaving to join his team on the field.

Kurosaki gritted her teeth and smashed her fist on one of the lockers. "And to think I was beginning to like you…"


	2. Apology

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Inazuma Eleven GO/Galaxy.**

* * *

"I cannot believe it." Masaki murmured beside her when Raimon was declared the winner of the Holy Road tournament and Hibiki Seigou disbanded the Fifth Sector.

"What? That officially Seidouzan lost or that Ishido-san is actually Gouenji Shuuya?" Kurosaki could not help the amused quip.

Masaki shot his captain an unreadable glare. "Both. And you still need to answer all our questions regarding Senguuji Yamato and how you know him."

Kurosaki let out a sigh and turned away. "I don't want to talk about it now."

In front of them, Saginuma frowned as he listened to their conversation. He had guessed what happened between Seidouzan's captain and Dragonlink's captain and it was not pretty. He and Gouenji were some of the few people who knows of the relationship between the two of them and their arrangement.

"What are they talking about?" Hitomika asked with a concerned look.

"Senguuji Yamato and Kurosaki's arrangement." Saginuma replied softly that the two teens behind them could not hear.

Hitomiko pursed her lips and nodded in understanding. As she was well acquainted with the brunet captain through Saginuma, she knew about her predicament involving the Dragonlink captain.

"Saginuma-coach, I'm going to head off first." Kurosaki suddenly said, standing up, startling Masaki.

Saginuma frowned at her direction. "Where are you going? Ishido…ah, sorry, Gouenji wants to speak with the team later."

"The hospital." She said briefly and headed to the locker room to change to her jersey and grab her bag. Then, she went down to the bus stop just outside the stadium. When she realized that she just missed the bus and the next one will be in ten minutes, she resigned herself to wait in boredom until the bus arrived.

"Mako-chan!"

Kurosaki froze where she stood but did not budge an inch even when Senguuji appeared in the corner of her eye. They stood in awkward silence for a few seconds before Senguuji bowed.

"I'm sorry."

Needless to say, Kurosaki was startled by the gesture. "What?"

"I said I'm sorry. For forcing your team out of the match." Senguuji said in annoyance as he straightened up. A light tinge of blush colored his cheeks as he avoided Kurosaki's gaze.

Kurosaki was clearly stunned by the sudden change of attitude in the goalkeeper and the apology. Nevertheless, her face softened. "Thank you, Yamato-san."

Senguuji rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "You were right. My downfall was painful. But, otou-san and I talked it out. I think I realize now that what we did was wrong."

"Oh. And the arrangement…?"

"It'll end as soon as otou-san talks to your parents to cut the funding to the Fifth Sector."

"Great." Kurosaki muttered under her breath. Knowing her parents, it will take a very long time for them to get around the fact that the Fifth Sector is disbanded since they were one of its biggest supporters.

Under the impression that their daughter will succeed if she is under the Fifth Sector, Kurosaki's parents had pushed her to enroll in Seidouzan and get her involve in Senguuji Daigo's arrangement. She doesn't resent them for making her go to Seidouzan since she loves it there, but she cannot forgive them for making her do something she does not agree to.

As though knowing what she's thinking, Senguuji grinned and extended his hand. "Since we are officially still 'dating', can you be my date to the afterparty tonight?"

"Afterparty?" Kurosaki cocked her head in confusion. "What afterparty?"

"That's what you get for not attending your team's meeting after the match." Senguuji said with a light roll of his eyes. "Raimon and Gouenji-san is hosting a party tonight at the Fifth Sector's HQ's main ballroom to celebrate bringing back real soccer. All the soccer teams in the area are invited."

"And you want to go?" Kurosaki asked slowly in surprise considering how strongly he supported his father's ideals of managed soccer.

"Any chance to spend with you before we officially 'break up'." He winked, causing her to blush.

"You enjoyed this 'fake relationship' too much." She muttered.

Senguuji's face became unreadable for a moment before his usual smirk replaced that. "So what do you say? One last date?"

Kurosaki did not give an answer immediately for the bus was already pulling up. She shot him a brief smile. "I would like that. I'll see you there."

"Need me to pick you up instead?" He asked quickly as she boarded the bus.

"No need to. I'm probably going with someone else." She answered back just as the doors closed. Signing, she located a free seat and sat down. She closed her eyes and smiled against the window. She and Senguuji Yamato did not have a great start or relationship given their forced relationship by their parents. Although, she had the impression that Yamato enjoyed the arrangement for some reason. The whole time they were pretending to date, she never liked him anymore than he disliked her mainly because his arrogant attitude and her discontentment at being forced into the arrangement.

Right now, it seems that they have a chance to get along with the Fifth Sector being abolished and therefore no longer necessary to keep up the pretense of dating Yamato. Kurosaki's smile widened at that thought. She did not mind being friends with him now that he was humbled by Raimon.

* * *

When she arrived at the hospital, she made her way to a particular room on the third floor. Knocking briefly, she entered when the occupant of the room answered. She smiled warmly at the teen who was lying in his bed with several books lying around. He had bandages wrapped around his head and wires protruding out of his arms and torso. Whips of chestnut brown hair were sticking out of the cracks of the bandages. His preriot green eyes lighted up when he saw who his visitor was.

"Hakuba, how are you?" She asked as she sat down on the chair beside the bed.

"Been better." The teen smiled weakly. "I still get occasional headaches and dizziness."

Kurosaki gave her kouhai a sympathetic pat on the arm. Her kouhai, Usagai Hakuba, and defender on the soccer team had an unfortunate accident during a bank robbery gone wrong and had a bullet pierce his head while trying to protect an elderly couple. While it did not touch his skull, he had to remain the hospital after the surgery to remove the bullet.

"I saw bits and pieces of the match. I was shocked when you guys were replaced by Dragonlink." Hakuba spoke.

Kurosaki shook her head slightly. "I wasn't expecting it either. But we had no choice. Gouenji-san was forced to resign as our coach…"

Hakuba held up a hand to stop her. "Woah, woah, woah, stop right there. What do you mean by 'forced to resign'?"

Kurosaki raised a questioning eyebrow at that. "There is actually someone higher up than him, the founder of the Fifth Sector. So when he saw that we were not playing the Fifth Sector Soccer that he wanted, he kicked us out of the tournament and replaced it with his son's team."

"Oh." Hakuba whispered softly. "I'm sorry to hear that. I wish that I was there though…"

"I think he had it planned from the start so it wouldn't matter if you were there or not." Kurosaki shook her head. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Did you know from the start that Ishido Shuuji and Gouenji Shuuya are the same person?"

Hakuba rubbed his hands together sheepishly for being caught. "Sort of…I was not very sure until he came to recruit me. I was acquainted with him when I was younger, so I thought that they were the same people when I first saw him on TV. But until that day, I was not one hundred percent sure."

"And you didn't think to mention it to us? We would have tried to help him if we knew…"

"He didn't want you guys to get into trouble if he was found out. And since he never liked the Fifth Sector's Soccer, he thought that if he made you guys strong, no one will question if you are playing Fifth Sector's soccer or real soccer."

"And he was trying to guide us towards the latter." Kurosaki muttered.

Hakuba gave a noncommitted shrug to show that he had nothing to say about that. The TV in the room then ran a rerun of the Holy Road finals. Hakuba observed that her face lighted up slightly when the camera focused on Senguuji Yamato. He raised an eyebrow and snorted. "You know, I thought that you would have a sour face when reminded that Dragonlink stole the team's spot in the second half."

Kurosaki shot him a withering look. "I do not have a sour face."

"It was a metaphor speech." Hakuba held up his hands in defense. "But I am curious though. You seem to know Senguuji Yamato well."

"I hate it when you are observant and shrewd." She muttered under her breath. She tossed her head. "Well, since the whole team will find out about it later, I might as well tell you."


	3. The Arrangement-How It All Began

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Inazuma Eleven GO/Galaxy.**

* * *

 _"It all started last year after the Holy Road finals where we won…"_

"Good work everyone. You did well today" Ishido nodded at the Seidouzan soccer team after their successful win in the Holy Road finals against Kidokawa Seishu. Every one of them held their heads up proudly at the compliment from their coach.

"We do our best for you sir." Kurosaki bowed/saluted. Inwardly, she was swelling with pride. Despite being a first-year student at that time, she had made it to be captain of the team and successfully led them against Kidokawa Seishu since there was no score set beforehand.

Ishido nodded and a small frown found his face. "Tonight, the Fifth Sector will be hosting a gala in the honor of me being elected as Seitei and Seidouzan's victory. All of you are invited. It will be held at the Fifth Sector's HQ's ballroom."

Almost everyone in the team looked excited at the prospect of the gala. But Kurosaki was indifferent to it as she had her fair shares of galas and parties due to her parent's wealth and love to show off.

"Hey Kurosaki, I bet a lot of guys are looking forward in seeing you in a dress." Masaki teased her after they emerged from the locker room. Kurosaki lightly rolled her eyes at the jest but she had a smile nevertheless.

"I don't know about that. I think more girls are eager to see you guys in tuxedos. Just don't go messing around too much. We have to uphold the Seitei and Seidouzan's reputation."

"We hear you captain." Hyuuga reassured her. Everyone else nodded in agreement. While they like to occasionally goof off, they will leave that for another day. Now that they are the number one soccer team in Japan and their coach is the Holy Emperor, there were standards as to how they should behave in public. Even so, the team was proud of their achievement and intent to make most of it.

"I bet that we can recognize you right away even if you wear a dress." Tsutsumi said casually.

Kurosaki looked thoughtful for a moment and smirked, holding out her hand. "I'll take up on that."

Everyone was slightly surprise by that. But one by one, they began to toss in their bets.

"500 yen that we will recognize you the moment you step inside the HQ." Atou started with a smirk which was also present on his friends' faces.

"And 1500 yen says that you guys can't recognize me within 30 minutes of the gala." Kurosaki retorted easily, folding her hands behind her back. Some of the boys started complaining and added on to the bets, each one getting ridiculous than the last.

Behind them, Ishido was rolling his eyes at their ridiculous bets. But he had a small smile hidden from them. It was nice to see that his team was not heavily influenced by the Fifth Sector and are acting more like the middle school students they are despite his presence as their coach.

* * *

That evening, Kurosaki found herself locked up in her bathroom in her parent's mansion instead of the school dorms because of certain issues with the dorms' bathroom space and availability. That and her parents wanted to speak to her before the gala meant that she had to get ready for it there.

Pausing in applying her makeup, she stared at the person in the mirror. She had spent nearly an hour trying to fix her hair into a complicated up do but gave up and settled on a thick plait running down her shoulder with various jeweled pins. She was wearing an orange gown with a sweetheart neckline that went down to her ankles. The dress had a single strap across her free shoulder which was decorated in white rhinestones. The rhinestones ran along the neckline down the sides and her waist, forming a belt.

She resumed applying her makeup which she tried to keep to a minimum. A smirk found its way to her mouth at the irony. Without a heavy layer of makeup, her appearance was more natural. This also meant that the chances of her teammates winning their bets will be higher. However, she was never a big fan of makeup hence her reluctance to use too much of it despite the high chances of ruining her wallet.

Once she was done, she replaced all the cosmetics and hair accessories in the sink drawer and grabbed her white clutch purse on her way out. But as she passed the living room, she paused when her father called her back there. Slowly, she headed back to the living room. Her eyes caught sight of her parent's guest and frowned.

Among the three people, there was her coach Ishido Shuuji who looked like he would rather be anywhere else than there. Beside him, a tan man with pink hair and a white suit inclined on the couch, chatting amiably with her mother. The third person was a boy around her age who she assumed is the son of the stranger since they have the same pink hair and similar appearances. He was dress casual-formally with a black dress shirt and brown pants.

"Makoto, this is Senguuji Daigo and his son Yamato. Senguuji is the founder of the Fifth Sector and former Holy Emperor." Her father gestured at the said persons who smirked at her. For some reason, he looked excited which made his daughter uneasy especially since her coach looked displeased at the situation.

"It nice to meet the captain of the winning team of the Holy Road." Senguuji stood up and kissed her knuckles.

"Likewise." She muttered with a small bow. She turned to her parents with a questioning look. "Is there something the matter?"

"Sit down dear." Her mother gestured at the seat beside Yamoto. Kurosaki hesitantly and slowly did as her mother asked. She tried to keep a space between her and Yamoto though, but the latter only ignored it and shifted closer to her, much to her annoyance.

"Makoto, Senguuji-san here has come up with a proposition that me and you mother think will benefit us as well as him."

Kurosaki narrowed her eyes just as Ishido subtly clenched his fist at the same time. She carefully picked her next words, "What is the proposition, if I may ask?"

Her father clapped his hands together in glee. "To simply put it, the Fifth Sector has proven its ideals perfect since you won the Holy Road today. And we have Senguuji-san to thank for coming up with this ideal."

A gag almost made it out of Kurosaki's mouth but she quickly quelled it, lest she got scolded by her parents for acting unlady-like. Mentally, she was indignant at her father's remark. It was like her and her team's efforts to win were not of their own but the Fifth Sectors. It was partly true since up until the semi-finals, it was the Fifth Sector's deciding score that enabled them to get to that stage. But after that, it was completely based on their own effort. Even so, she felt disgusted that her parents did not acknowledge her effort in leading the team to the winning stage.

"Senguuji-san has also talked about several upcoming projects that will require funding from outside sources. And we have agreed to help invest in those projects to help further the organization's ideas." Her father continued. It was at that point, Kurosaki could have sworn that her coach was positively livid despite the cool demure he had outwardly.

"And?" She asked.

This time, it was her mother who answered. She clapped her hands together eagerly. "Senguuji-san had proposed that we had our children date to seal the deal!"

Everything went blank to Kurosaki at that second. She could only go still as Yamato took her hand.

"Well, looks like we're a couple now." He smirked with amusement, especially at her disbelieving face. Kurosaki snapped out of shock and glared at him, tempted to hit his hand away.

Ishido decided then it was time to intervene before his student did something she would regret in front of her parents. He rose and extended his hand to Kurosaki. "With that being settled, we have to go now. It will not do for me or Kurosaki to be late for the gala."

Kurosaki immediately jumped at the chance to get away from her parents, Senguuji and Yamato. She jerked her hand out of Yamato's hand and grabbed Ishido's. "Of course, you are right. If you will excuse me, otou-san, okaa-san. Senguuji-san, it has been nice meeting you."

She pointedly ignored Yamato and followed her coach out of the mansion before her parents could protest. Ishido led her to his car parked outside and drove off to the HQ. They sat in silence for a while with Kurosaki pointedly looking out of the window, not sparing her coach a glance.

At one point, the car stopped at a red light. Ishido then decided to talk. "I am sorry about the situation, Kurosaki. But Senguuji is not someone I can oppose. If I could, I would protest against this stupid idea and make sure that it does not go through."

"It's not your fault." Kurosaki mumbled miserably. "I know my parents. It is very like them to do something like this to ensure that I always come out at the top."

Ishido sighed and stepped on the gas when the light turned green. "I wanted to warn you about this beforehand. But I didn't want to spoil the joy you had when you won the Holy Road tournament."

"Do I have a choice in this matter or not?" Kurosaki asked desperately.

Ishido hesitated to answer that. "I will continue to try to change Senguuji's mind. But for now, I advise you to bear with it. Yamato isn't that bad of a person. He may be arrogant and conceited most of the time but he is dedicated to his father, that I can say."

Kurosaki heaved a sigh. "So all I have to do is pretend to like him and all?"

Ishido winced at that. "That and fake dating with him. Luckily, there is a set period for your fake relationship with him. I managed to convince your parents that you needed to focus on your studies and soccer practice so this…arrangement will last until next year after the next Holy Road finals."

Kurosaki let out a relief sigh at that. "Thank you."

"Your relationship with him will also remain private as part of the condition of the arrangement." Ishido continued.

"Really?" Kurosaki raised a surprised eyebrow. "I thought it would be the contrary, considering how my parents like to flaunt about everything that they do."

This warranted a frown from the Holy Emperor, making Kurosaki think that she said something wrong.

"Let's just say that one of the projects that Senguuji and Yamato are involved in is very secretive that cannot be revealed just yet. If you and Yamato went public, there is a chance that this project will be found out."

"Oh." Thank goodness for small blessings in disguise.

The rest of the trip continued in silence until they reached the HQ. Helping his student out of the car, Ishido took her by the arm.

"You ready?"

Kurosaki took a deep breath and accepted the comforting touch of her coach. "I think so."

Ishido gave her arm a reassuring squeeze and they went inside together where they were greeted by multitudes of strangers congratulating them for their win. Kurosaki accepted the greetings robotically for her mind was still troubled by what transpired earlier. Nevertheless, she tried to push it out of her mind to enjoy the night with her team.

* * *

 _Present Time_

"Oh…so that's what happened." Hakuba whistled when Kurosaki finished the story. "So who won the bet?"

Kurosaki nearly fell down anime style at the question. Here she was telling him about her troubles with her parent's arrangement with Senguuji and he cares more about the silly, minor bet.

"…I won. The team spent an hour trying to look for me even though I practically bumped into them several times. Amase-kun won a consideration prize for accurately guessing the amount of time it would take for at least one of them to recognize me though."

Hakuba laughed out loud at that but quickly stopped when a stabbing pain rose in his head. Kurosaki instantly became concerned for him. "You alright?"

"Yeah…" Hakuba winced. "Note to self, don't laugh right now or I will get a killer pain in the brain."

Kurosaki sighed in amusement at her kouhai's words. Hakuba turned thoughtful and raised an eyebrow at her. "Did anyone from the team know about this?"

"They found out that Yamato-san and I know each other. But the details, not so much. To be honest, you are the first person I told about this."

Hakuba raised an eyebrow at that. "Really? Then I think you need to rethink that."

Before Kurosaki could ask what he meant, a voice called out behind the door.

"Excuse me! Can you guys move aside?"

There were yells of surprise and the door crashed open, revealing the rest of the Seidouzan soccer team forming a pile at the door where they fell through.

Kurosaki's jaw dropped open as Hakuba sniggered. "Because they have been eavesdropping on us."


	4. A Girls' Day Out

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Inazuma Eleven GO/Galaxy.**

* * *

Kurosaki stared in horror at her teammates who obviously heard everything. Hakuba was indifferent to it. Rather, he waved at the girl who was the cause of the mess the Seidouzan soccer team made at the door.

"Hey Cass."

"Hey yourself." The girl smirked and lightly hopped over the pile gracefully. She was clearly not fully Japanese for she had platinum blond hair which was tied in a braid bun despite having similar preriot green eyes as Hakuba. That and her accent was very thick. She was also wearing Hakuren's soccer jacket. She ended Hakuba critically. "You look better than last night. I can't believe you got uncle and aunty to trick me into joining Fubuki-kantoku and Hyouga-kun to watch the Holy Road finals."

"Hakuba, who's this? Your girlfriend?" Koizaki grunted from the bottom of the pile of the players who were scrambling to get up. However, despite being excellent soccer players on the field, they suck at untangling themselves when in a pile in Kurosaki's opinion.

Hearing Koizaki's question, the girl gagged while Hakuba spun away, pressing his hand over his mouth to suppress his laughter.

"Like I'd ever date him!" The girl stuck out her tongue in disgust.

Hakuba nodded seriously in agreement once he managed to get his laughter under control. "There's no way I'd date my cousin!"

All the other people in the room blinked in surprise and exchanged glances. The ones at the door then let out a shocked "EH!?"

Kurosaki blinked and then carefully observed the girl. Her eyes became wide when she realized who she is. "Wait, this is the cousin you have been talking about? Cassandra Hills?"

"The one and only!" Cassandra winked with a wave. "You must be Hakuba's captain. Nice to meet you…"

"Kurosaki Makoto."

Cassandra blinked and shook her hand. " _Gracias_ for looking out for my _estúpido_ cousin."

When Kuroskai became visibly confuse, Hakuba facepalmed again. "Don't mind her. She tends to mix Spanish in her speech when she's mad or agitated."

This perked the team's interest and Kurosaki eyed her curiously. "So you are…?"

"Half Japanese, quarter American, and quarter Spanish. And I was agitated at the fact that Hakuba was stupid, not at you." She quickly reassured her.

Kurosaki managed a smile at the younger girl's forthrightness. "I see."

"What are you guys doing?"

Instantly, the players jumped and realized that they were distracted by Cassandra that they forgot to untangle themselves from the pile at the door. Outside, Gouenji sighed at the clumsiness his team was showing. His eyes drifted to Kurosaki who adverted her eyes and to Cassandra who pointedly ignored him.

"Kurosaki, may I have a word with you?" He requested. The team quieted at this and remembered that Kurosaki was the only one who has not talked with Gouenji since the Holy Road finals ended. Figuring that things were awkward now, Cassandra lightly pushed Kurosaki to the door.

"Go on with him. I'll watch over him and get to know your team."

Her teammates gave her a look that said she had to go which left her little choice.

"Alright." She sighed. As she hopped over the pile, she gave them a pointed look that meant that they had to clear themselves up by the time she got back. They gave her a sheepish wave as she followed Gouenji up to the roof.

"Sit down." He gestured at the bench and Kurosaki did as asked. Gouenji did not say anything at first, but pressed a can of drinks in her hands.

"Thanks." She murmured and took a sip from it. "Is this supposed to be a peace offering?"

"You could say that." Gouenji gave her a wry smile. He frowned and sat down beside her. "I owe you an apology. I know that it looks like I was using the team for my own purpose. But I genuinely care for all of you and I want nothing more than for the team to experience the soccer that I love instead of the Fifth Sectors'."

"Hakuba said something along those lines." Kurosaki muttered.

"I'm not surprise." Gouenji said under his breath.

Kurosaki managed a smile and took another sip. "I can't say that I'm not mad at you for tricking us. But, I cannot deny that I enjoyed the match with Raimon even though we could not finish it…If that was what you were aiming for."

"Partly. I'm glad that you and the team don't hate me though." Gouenji smiled back. "There will be an afterparty at the former Fifth Sector HQ…"

"I know about it." Kurosaki cut in. "Yamato-kun told me about it."

Gouenji gave her a slight surprised, curious look. "Yamato did? When?"

"After the finals." Kurosaki shrugged and gave her coach a sheepish smile. "Now that he doesn't have to follow his father's orders and the Fifth Sector disbanded, he's actually a nicer person. I don't mind being friends with him after this."

Gouenji had a wry smile but did not comment on that. Inwardly, he was amused at what his student said for he knows something about Yamato that she doesn't. Deciding to bring back the main point, he spoke up. "So, the party will be at the main ballroom."

"I hope it would not be as formal as last year." Kurosaki sighed but her smile told the former seitei that she was only joking.

"It wouldn't." He promised. "Raimon and some of my old friends are taking over the preparations. So, the theme is more casual. Though, I recommend that you wear something nice if you want to win more betting cash." He said the last part with a knowing smirk.

"It was only that time!" Kurosaki rolled her eyes in protest. "Besides, I doubt that Masaki and the others are willing to risk their wallets again."

"You may be right on that one." Gouenji slowly nodded. "Even so, I do hope that all of you will enjoy yourselves. You have every right to after everything that happened today."

"We will." Kurosaki promised with a nod.

* * *

Later when Kurosaki went back to Hakuba's room, the atmosphere tensed for her teammates were unsure how to bring up the 'Yamato topic' without making things awkward. Fortunately for her, Cassandra got fed up with the tense atmosphere so she dragged Kurosaki out to hang out, promising her cousin to see him again before she went back to Hokkaido.

"Mah~ I'm not sure why your friends are tensed around you, but it was getting suffocating." Cassandra remarked when they were away from the hospital.

"Sorry about that."

Cassandra blinked at her and waved her hands dismissively with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to jab at you with that. By the way, do you want to go clothes shopping? I didn't bring anything to wear for the party tonight."

"Um, sure." Kurosaki nodded. She figured that she would joining in the shopping spree as well since she didn't have anything to wear at her parent's mansion and she didn't want to go all the way back to the school's dorms just to pick an outfit since it is about an hour's drive away from Tokyo.

" _Magnífico!_ " Cassandra cheered. Noticing the blank look from Kurosaki, she gave a nervous laugh and scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Sorry, I mean, great!"

Kurosaki could not help the chuckle that came out from her mouth then. "It's alright. So, where should we go to first?"

* * *

By the time they had found what they needed, it was two hours since they started shopping and Kurosaki was downright tired. They had hit at least five stores but it wasn't their fault that they couldn't find what they wanted that easily. Turns out, she and Cassandra shared the same taste of American style fashion so finding a store that suited that was hard.

"I got a ton of accessories with me so we can skip that." Cassandra casually remarked when they stopped at an ice cream store beside the local ice rink to rest.

Kurosaki managed a teasing smile. "Why do you have your accessories with you now but not clothes?"

Cassandra let out a small chuckle. "I always bring my collection of hair accessories with me. It just so happens that my jewelry accessories are part of the storage."

Kurosaki laughed at that. They sat in silence to eat their ice cream for a few minutes. As Kurosaki finished up hers, her eyes drifted to the ice rink. "I heard from Hakuba that you're good in ice skating."

"Just moderately." Cassandra shrugged modestly.

"Oh?" Kurosaki half closed her eyes in amusement. "I bet you are better than I would ever be."

"You never know until you try."

Kurosaki's eyes fell at that comment as she reminisced something. Cassandra noticed that her companion had fallen silent and frowned in concern. "Kurosaki-san?"

Kurosaki snapped out of her thoughts with a light intake of breath. "Oh, sorry, I was thinking of something."

"What?"

"The first time I went ice skating." Kurosaki replied with a wry smile. "A…friend of mine dragged me to the ice skating ring near Seidouzan. It was my first time and my friend was no better than I was. Needless to say, I have no desire to go ice skating again for a long time."

Cassandra stared at Kurosaki observantly and her eyes flashed incredulousness. "No way! You were on a date with a guy then!?"

Kurosaki nearly lost her grip on her ice cream and her eyes became very wide at the blond-haired girl. "W-what gave you that impression?"

"Your hesitance in calling your friend a 'friend'." Cassandra grinned.

It was then, Kurosaki saw the similarities in Hakuba and Cassandra. She inwardly groaned, silently loathing the family's observant trait and shrewdness. "…Alright, it was a one-sided date. I was dragged by my so-called boyfriend to a date in the ice skating ring."

"So-called boyfriend?"

"Long story short, my parents made me date Senguuji Yamato." Kurosaki rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Cassandra's mouth formed an 'o' in understanding. She gave her a sympathetic smile. "I think this may not be what you want to hear, but that's sad."

"…Yeah. I guess you can say that."

"So what happened at the ice skating date? You make it sound like you fell down every few seconds." Cassandra grinned.

"Every second was more like it." Kurosaki let out an uncharacteristic groan. But then a smiled found its way on her face. "But, I couldn't help but feel that we got closer then. Before that, I disliked him a lot. Right now, I think we can get along better as friends."

Cassandra raised an eyebrow and tapped a finger on the table thoughtfully. "I don't know. What you told me and the impression I got from him from the match…" She trailed off and then smiled instead. "Never mind."

Kurosaki narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Because of the similarities of personality and mannerisms between the cousins, she could tell that Cassandra knew something and was not telling her. Nevertheless, experience with Hakuba told her that it was not wise to press Cassandra to tell or she'll only run around in circles.

"We should get going." Cassandra stood up, throwing the now empty ice cream bowl and trash into the bin beside the table. "We can go over to the hotel that my uncle, aunt and I are staying at and get ready for the party."

Kurosaki sighed as she realized that her companion was right. Nevertheless, she was anticipating and dreading the event because she'll be meeting both Yamato and her teammates. But, she knew that she could not avoid this forever and might as well clear things up with her friends sooner or later.


	5. Study Session-Interlude Chapter

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Inazuma Eleven GO/Galaxy.**

 **This is an interlude chapter. On occasion if I get any ideas, I would skip working on the plot and write these interlude chapters about Kurosaki and Senguuji's dates or interactions before going back to the plot. The next chapter will continue from Chapter 5.**

* * *

Kurosaki's week has not been going well. First, the final exams for the year was coming up soon so soccer practice was cancelled until it was over. Then, she had to help tutor her friends, giving her less time to do her homework and study. Lastly, Yamato was pressing her to go out on a date with him for the past week.

"I told you before. I can't go out with you tonight or any other nights next week because I have to study for my finals." Kurosaki said tiredly to Yamato through her phone when he called her to bagger her into a date again.

"You have been giving the same excuse for the past week." Yamato deadpanned. "Are you trying to avoid me or something?"

"Like I told you before," Kurosaki forced out through gritted teeth. "I am very busy now and I have my finals to work on."

Yamato huffed and hung up. Sighing in relief, Kurosaki diverted her attention back to her notes. She frowned as she reread the same line over and over again but unable to understand what it meant. Groaning, she brought her hand up to her eyes and rubbed them. She knew she was exhausted given that she was desperate to do well in her exams that she often stayed up late to cramp important facts into her brain.

"Mako-chan!"

Kurosaki jumped in her seat, spinning around with a glare when she realized who it was. "Yamato-kun?! What are you doing here? And how did you get in?!"

"Your dorm-mistress let me in." Yamato rolled his eyes. "I'm here to get you out of this stuffy room."

"For the last time! I'm not going out on a date with you until my exams are over!" Kurosaki half-screamed, half-yelled.

Yamato frowned at that and folded his hands across his chest. "You are too stressed and tired. Of course I wouldn't drag you out for a date. But what I meant is that I want to help you study. Somewhere away from your room though."

Kurosaki could only blink, not able to entirely comprehend Yamato's words. "What…?"

"Come on." Yamato grabbed Kurosaki's books on the desk and stuffed them into a bag. He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out of the room.

"Hey! Let me go! Where are we going!? Yamato-kun!"

* * *

Despite Kurosaki's protest and struggles, Yamato managed get her into his dad's driver's car and got back to his home within an hour. For the whole ride, she had buried her head in one of her notebooks, ignoring him like she always does when he does something to irritate her. But on his part, Yamato was more annoyed by the fact that she was focusing more on her books that paying attention to him.

"Oi." Yamato grabbed the notebook out of her hands, annoying her further. "We're here."

Kurosaki followed him out of the car with an unnoticeable scowl. Yamato had all her notebooks, including that last one, which meant that she could not get them unless he gave them to her. And she knew that every time Yamato had something over her, he will demand something in return from her.

"What do you think?" Yamato suddenly stopped in his tracks, forcing Kurosaki to slow down before she crashed into him. He smirked and waved at his house…though mansion would be a more appropriate word. "This is my home. Like it?"

Unfortunately, Kurosaki was unimpressed, casting him a deadpanned look. "In case you have forgotten, my parents also live in a mansion as big as this. All I can say is, a house this size does not impress me at all."

Yamato scowled at her and dragged her inside. "Fine."

Behind him, Kurosaki smirked in triumph for she seldom managed to get one up over him. But when they stepped into the living room, it faded at the sight of Yamato's father sitting on the couch reading the newspaper. He lifted his head and smiled warmly at Yamato. "Welcome back Yamato. I take it that you finally managed to convince Kurosaki-chan to hang out with you."

When his gaze fell on Kurosaki though, the smile turned into a smirk. "Kurosaki-chan, thank you for taking time to entertain my son."

Kurosaki only clenched her fist, hating the implications behind his words. Yamato only smirked and waved away his father's words. "Otou-san, don't joke about that. You're scaring her. Also, it's nearly Mako-chan's final exams. Of course, she will be busy. I only dragged her here to help her study here."

Senguuji raised an eyebrow but nodded cordially as he addressed Kurosaki again. "I see. Forgive me, but I was just worried that your parents will misunderstand and cut off their funding to the Fifth Sector."

Kurosaki forced herself to breath normally and faked a smile. "My parents only want the best. To meet that expectation, I must do my best academically among other things. They will understand that I have to put my studies first in this situation."

"I understand. Have fun studying then." Senguuji grunted and resumed reading the paper. Yamato took his cue to leave and led Kurosaki to his room.

When they got there, Yamato dumped the notebooks and textbooks out of the bag onto the table. Briefly browsing through them, he raised an incredulous eyebrow at her. "Seriously? You're studying all this?"

"What about it?" Kurosaki rearranged her books in neat stacks in irritation. "I don't see you bothered about any of this. So how can you help me study? You don't go to any school as far as I know."

"I have a private tutor." Yamato smirked and pulled the textbook on top of the stack. "Let's start with English."

Resigning herself to Yamato's help, Kurosaki joined him at the desk as he helped explain some of the gramma rules she had trouble with. Begrudgingly, she had to admit that his explanations made more sense than her teacher's.

* * *

After two hours and one quick dinner, Yamato decided that it was enough for that evening. He closed the notebook that was spread between him and Kurosaki. This made her snap her head at him with a frown. "What?"

"It's nine o'clock. We should continue tomorrow." Yamato stated, getting up to stretch.

"But it's a Friday so I can stay up late." Kurosaki retorted, trying to force her eyes open despite her obvious fatigue.

Yamato however noticed this and pointed it out. "You can barely keep your eyes open. How can you stay up and study anymore? Give yourself a break before you burn up." He pulled her out of her seat, not giving her time to protest and wrapped one hand around her waist and the other behind her head.

Kurosaki's yelp of surprise was lost when Yamato pulled her against his body and pressed his lips on hers. Too tired to protest or push him away, she reluctantly accepted the kiss. Slowly, he guided her towards his bed and pushed her down, pinning her down by her shoulders. They briefly separated to catch their breath.

Kurosaki eyed him carefully, trying to determine what Yamato was playing at. "What are you playing at now? Did you make me come all the way here just to have this?"

"Can't blame me since you kept turning me down every time I asked you out on a date." Yamato smirked and leaned down, pressing a kiss on her forehead. "Now, I have to ask for my repayment for my assistance in helping you do your revision."

"What is it this time?" Kurosaki muttered.

"Simple. Get some rest and we'll continue studying tomorrow. Maybe we can do something fun after that."

Kurosaki opened her mouth to protest at the last part but Yamato took his chance and kissed her again, effectively silencing her.

"No more talk about studying and free time." He moved off her and produced a large sweatshirt and loose pants from the drawers beside the bed. "Go and get ready for bed. You can borrow my clothes for the night. The bathroom's over there." He waved over at the door to the bathroom at the other end of the room.

Kurosaki frowned as she sat up. "Can't you just send me back to the dorms?"

"Maybe, but there's no guarantee that you won't do as I say and stay up late again." Yamato smirked. At Kurosaki's withering glare, he knew he was right. Without a word, she grabbed the clothes Yamato offered her and stormed to the bathroom. Letting out a loose chuckle, Yamato went over to the couch besides his study desk and unfolded it so that he can sleep on the couch bed tonight. After quickly changing and using the other bathroom down the hall, he settled down on the couch bed as Kurosaki came out.

"You can take the bed. I'm sleeping here." He told her. She nodded curtly and climbed under the covers.

"No funny business." She warned him. "If you try anything on me, you'll regret it."

"Don't worry, I won't." He promised with a light smirk and switched off the lights. "Good night."

Kurosaki huffed and settled back down on the bed. Soon, the light breathing and rise of her chest told him that she was already asleep. Yamato smiled softly and settled down himself.

Contrary to what his father and Kurosaki thinks, he cares for her underneath his arrogance which is why he offered to help her study and made her get some rest before she burned out. Despite being pushed together unwillingly by their parents, he was slowly falling for her.

He clenched his fist when he realized how true that statement was and that terrified him. If this continues, he may lose focus on the Dragonlink project and his father will be disappointed in him. Sighing, he resolved to find a way to get Kurosaki out of his mind until project Dragonlink was finished, even if it means hurting her and himself.

* * *

 _The next morning…_

The light that was breaking through the curtains shone right on Kurosaki's face. She groggily blinked her eyes open. Panicking slightly in confusion at the unfamiliar room initially, she slowly remembered that Yamato had forced her to stay for the night after their study session last night. She reached for her phone on the bedside drawer and flicked it on. Her eyes shot wide open when she noticed the time.

"Oh no. I'm late." She quickly sat up.

"Going somewhere, Mako-chan?"

Kurosaki glared at Yamato who was sitting casually at the desk while reading one of her notebooks. "What?"

"You look like you're rushing off somewhere." He stated, giving her a pointed glare. "Any reason why?"

"I promised my friend I'd meet up with her for breakfast and help her with her Math." Kurosaki grabbed her clothes and headed to the bathroom to change. But Yamato blocked her path, smirking down at her.

"Come now, we already said that we'll study together this morning."

"If I woke up earlier." She retorted and shoveled her phone in his face. "It's 11 o'clock!"

"So?" Yamato deadpanned, pushing down her phone. "You needed that sleep. Don't worry, your friend called earlier and I answered it. I told her that you rescheduled it to tomorrow."

Kurosaki instantly gave him her infamous death glare. "What?!"

Yamato grimaced at her glare and backed away slightly. "S-sorry. But, I really wanted to spend more time with you since I will be very busy with Dr-!" He immediately stopped himself before he gave too much information.

Kurosaki's glare was replaced with a frown. "Busy with what?"

"N-nothing." Yamato adverted his eyes to avoid hers.

Kurosaki eyed him critically as he fidgeted under her gaze. Finally, she lowered her eyes and stepped around him. "Fine. We can spend the rest of the day together. But I'm not up for anything other than studying. The fun activities can come _after_ my exams and your secret project with your father."

"Ah-!?"

Whatever that Yamato was about to say was lost when Kurosaki slammed the bathroom door shut. He silently growled and rubbed his face. "How did she find out about the project? And how much does she know about it?"

Figuring that he needed to calm down before Kurosaki came out, he picked up her Science notebook and flipped through the pages. But he came to a stop when he came across a small note tucked in between the pages. Out of curiosity, he opened the note and frowned at the message inside.

 _Looking forward to seeing you tonight. Wear something pretty._

 _-M.H._

"What is this?" Yamato angrily clenched the note. Too absorbed with the meaning behind the note, he didn't notice Kurosaki coming out of the bathroom and her frown when she saw the note. Before he knew it, she had plucked the note out of his grasp and tore it up.

"Sorry that you had to see that. But it was from a long time ago and I completely forgotten about it."

"Who is it from?" Yamato demanded.

"Someone I knew before I met you." Kurosaki replied cryptically. Without giving Yamato much chance to inquire further, she plucked her Science notebook out of his grasp and turned to a different page. "Should we start?"

Reluctantly, Yamato sat down beside her and resumed helping her with her revision. But at the back of his mind, he wondered who this 'M.H.' person was.


	6. Afterparty

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Inazuma Eleven GO/Galaxy.**

 **Continues straight from Chapter 4-A Girls' Day Out.**

* * *

Later that evening, Kurosaki felt a sense of Deja vu as she did her hair in Cassandra's hotel room. She had been kind enough to let her use it while she used her uncle and aunt's bathroom. But like before, she could not get her hair to remain properly in the updo she wanted it to be. Letting out an irritated sigh, she combed her fingers through her hair after another failure at getting it into remaining in a bun.

"I think your hair is too smooth to remain tied up without hair spray." Cassandra offered as she entered. She had part of her hair styled in three flower braids at the back of her head and had several sequin pins holding it in place. She was wearing a white tank top with a gold beaded necklace around her neck. She also had a black pleated skirt with black stockings underneath. Black and white bangles wrapped around her wrist, matching her zebra hoop earings. Her height was added thanks to the black high heeled boots on her feet.

"I know. I can never get my hair to remain properly in place tied up. That's why I seldom tie it up properly." Kurosaki huffed as she stared at her hair's reflection in the mirror.

"I think I can help with that." Cassandra offered, placing a large brown purse on the sink counter. Opening it, Kurosaki nearly sweatdropped at the number of hair accessories in it. Noticing that, Cassandra offered a small grin. "I have a small obsession with collecting hair accessories. It gives me a wider variety when I want to style my hair. If you ask my friend Hyouga-kun, he'll say that I can become a hair stylist when I grow up given how I like to change my hair style every day."

Kurosaki smiled lightly at that. "I see. So, any tips on what I should do with my hair?"

Cassandra examined the strands with a thoughtful look. Her face lighted up when an idea came to her. "I think I have the perfect idea."

* * *

"Where is she? She's late." Yukimura grumbled while looking around. He and Fubuki had arrived at the former Fifth Sector HQ a few minutes ago just as Tenma had nervously started the party with a brief introduction and speech. He pitied the first-year captain for it was painfully clear that he was not used to this. Nevertheless, despite the nervous wobble in his speech and hasty exit, the party was going smoothly.

Now, if his childhood friend would show up, he would enjoy it more. He felt lonely since Fubuki had excused himself to catch up with his friends and he barely knew anyone there, despite Tenma's friendly approaches to convince him to join one of the on-going games that the Raimon team was hosting, all which he declined.

Said childhood friend had just came in with Kurosaki slightly behind her. She giggled when she saw Yukimura's discomfort. "Ah~ Hyouga-kun, still as impatient as ever."

Kurosaki tilted her head at the blond. "You two are close?"

"Childhood friends." Cassandra hummed. "We've known each other since elementary school despite being in different years. He was my neighbor when my family first moved to Hokkaido and his mother travels a lot. Thus, we became close friends and he often stays over at our place when his mother is out of the country."

"Oh? Doesn't that mean that you're very _close_ to him?" Kurosaki asked slyly.

Unfortunately, Cassandra missed the meaning behind her words and nodded amiably. "Yeah. He's an important friend to me."

Kurosaki internally rolled her eyes at Cassandra's miss. But she did not dwell on it for long since she spotted her teammates gathered at one side of the hall, watching the games. They were clearly waiting for her before they joined in the activities. She sighed as she realized that she had to come clean about her relationship with them.

Cassandra placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, making her tilt her head at her. The younger blond only gave her a wink. "No need to worry. If you explain everything honestly, I'm sure that everything will be fine." She gave Kurosaki a light push at the direction of her teammates before heading over to Yukimura.

Kurosaki pursed her lips nervously as she slowly went over to them. Masaki was the first to notice her. He frowned and slipped away, heading towards her before their other teammates spotted her.

"You have a lot to explain." He whispered at her as he leaned against the wall, stopping her in her way.

Kurosaki frowned at him. "I know."

Masaki eyed her closely and sighed, dropping his frown. "We are just worried about you. You and Senguuji Yamato have been going out for a whole year and none of us know about it. Who knows what he has done to you."

Kurosaki sighed and joined him at the wall. "Don't worry, he didn't do anything to me. I didn't let him push me around easily."

"Really?" Masaki eyed her critically.

"Really." Kurosaki said firmly. She was not going to let her team worry about her anymore so she pushed herself off the wall and headed towards the Seidouzan team. She smirked in amusement as she watched them bet on whether Tenma or Shinsuke will win the Apple Bobbing contest that was going on then.

"After what happened last year, I thought you would learn your lessons and keep your money in your wallet." She joked. The team jumped and spun at her.

"Oh, Kurosaki." Tsutsumi sighed. But he did a double take at her and his smirked. "Looking good captain."

Everyone nodded in agreement with him. Kurosaki was wearing a marron long sleeved lace dress that went down to her knees. It had a white collar with a black ribbon tied around it. She was wearing black boots and white socks. Thanks to Cassandra's help, her hair was in an elegant bun at the base of her head.

Kurosaki rolled her eyes and lightly punched Tsutsumi's shoulder. "Thankful you didn't put your wallets on the line again?"

"You can say that again." Hyuuga giggled.

As Masaki joined them, he smiled slightly upon noticing that the atmosphere of the team was somewhat back to normal as opposed to that afternoon at the hospital. But still, the problem needed to be addressed.

He cleared his throat to get their attention and gave Kurosaki a pointed stare. She half-glared at him but knew that he was right. With a deep breath, she faced her teammates with a determined look.

"Guys, I owe you all an apology for hiding my relationship with Senguuji Yamato."

Everyone quieted down and gave Kurosaki a look that she guessed that it was surprise mixed with uncertainty.

"So why didn't you tell us?" Amase asked.

"I don't know." Kurosaki sighed as she folded her arms around her. "I guess was afraid of how you guys would react."

"We would have understood and stood by you." Masaki protested with a frown.

Kurosaki lightly sighed and covered her eyes with her hand so that the team would not see her roll her eyes. "I meant your reaction towards Yamato-kun. I dare say that you would hunt him down and who knows what trouble you guys will get into."

The sheepish looks of her friends is all she needed to know that she was right. Another roll of her eyes and she gave them a slight sad smile. "And, I guess I was embarrassed by the whole thing. Dating someone I barely knew at the whims of my parents and all."

At this, everyone became sympathetic and now understood better as to why their captain kept it a secret even if they didn't like it.

"Hey guys!" Tenma's voice rang out through the speakershall then, gaining everyone's attention on him. He gulped and nervously forced a smile. "We are going to go for the last game now and we would like all soccer players to join in!" He paused and glanced nervously at Aoi who was at his side, having forgotten what the game was. She sighed fondly and exasperatedly and gave him a card. The brunet shot his childhood friend a thankful look before reading out the card.

"The game is this: all the soccer players participating will be divided in to groups of three. In the center, there will be fifty cups arranged in a pattern. Each group will be given colored ping pong balls and have to get as many into the cups as possible within five minutes. Each balls represents one point. The group that accumulates the most points is the winner. But you can only kick the balls into the cups, like soccer!"

"Sounds like fun." Hyuuga perked up.

"Oi, it's not that easy, you know. The ping pong balls are smaller and lighter than soccer balls, so they will be much harder to control." Koizaki frowned at his friend in slight exasperation for his eagerness.

"That's what makes it fun!" Hyuuga grabbed ahold of Koizaki and Amase and pulled them along to join the game. The rest of the team shared Hyuuga's sentiments for they too were grouping up.

"Aren't you joining?" Masaki asked Kurosaki when he noticed that she did not make any move to join one of the teams.

Kurosaki raised an eyebrow and gestured at her dress. "Skirt, remember?"

Masaki blushed at his mistake. "Oh. Sorry."

"It's fine. Go and join them. I'll be fine." She urged the goalkeeper.

"If you say so." Masaki shrugged and joined Tsutsumi and Iyabe's incomplete group.

"One thing I never got used to about you is you wearing a dress at every event you go to." Yamato suddenly said from behind Kurosaki with a smirk. She rolled her eyes and turned to face him.

"It just so happened that I like this one. Otherwise, I would rather wear a t-shirt and jeans to this party." She retorted.

Yamato tossed that thought around his mind and shook his head with a grimace. "You definitely look better in dresses. You should consider wearing them more often." He said with his smirk growing.

"Is that your subtle way of asking me out for real?" Kurosaki raised an eyebrow at him.

"Maybe." Yamato hummed. Secretly though, he was freaking out because Kurosaki saw through him. Desperately, he hoped that she would not take it seriously and think of it as a joke. Thankfully, she did not think too much about it. Instead, she made herself comfortable by leaning against the wall.

"So what's next?"

"Hm?" Yamato cocked his head at her.

"What's next for you and Dragonlink?" Kuroskai clarified her question.

That was a thought Yamato had not thought about before. As far as he remembered, Dragonlink's primary purpose was to be the Fifth Sector's strongest team to showcase managed soccer. The second purpose was to destroy anyone who rebelled against his father's ideals (*ahem* Raimon). Their lost against Raimon and the Fifth Sector's disbandment was not anticipated by him or his father. So it's safe to say he had no idea of what to do once they lost their purpose.

Seeing the lost look on her companion, Kurosaki offered a slight smile. "If you can't think of what to do from here, you could try to go to a school and learn how to enjoy soccer."

"And what if I want to go to Seidouzan?" Yamato raised an eyebrow challengingly.

Kurosaki was caught off guard by that but did not show it outwardly. Instead, she chuckled in mild amusement. "Then you will have competition with Masaki and Temizu. Oh, and you'll have to go through Saginuma-coach's hellish training. By the end of the first day, I can guarantee that you'll wish that you never decided to join the team."

"I'm used to hellish training." Yamato shrugged. At Kurosaki's curious look, he elaborated. "God Eden. Everyone on Dragonlink had been sent there for training at one point."

"Oh." How can Kurosaki not know about the island which is a cleverly hidden death trap. She herself had been sent there for a few months after her potential to bring out a keshin was discovered shortly after she joined the soccer team. Her time on the island was also her trial to determine if she can permanently join the soccer team due to gender discrimination cases. And it was a period of time she never wanted to remember if she could help it, especially since most of her memories there were about hellish training worse than Saginuma's training and _him._

"Time's up!"

Both Kurosaki and Yamato glanced at the stage where Tenma had been keeping time for the game. Everyone gathered around there to hear the results but the two remained where they were. The young captain scanned through the results collected by his teammates and announced the winner being the Endou, Gouenji and Kidou group. Everyone clapped and cheered for them as they received their prize from Tenma. Then, after the Raimon team cleared up the center area, they proceeded on to the main event which was the dance.

When the rest of the Seidouzan team rejoined their captain, they were less than pleased to see Yamato with her. In order to avoid any unnecessary confrontations, Kurosaki pulled Yamato to the dance floor with her.

"Gezz, your teammates are so protective of you." Yamato rolled his eyes as he twirled Kurosaki.

She chuckled in amusement. "You can't blame them, especially since your father did convince my parents to make us date. They are worried that you might have done something inappropriate to me."

Yamato had the decency to wince and look ashamed. "Other than that first dance we had last year, I swear I never did do anything to you."

"I know." Kurosaki smirked, enjoying Yamato being flustered. Yet, she knew she owed a lot to Yamato despite their differences. "Anyway, I'm looking forward to Dragonlink's progress in the future. I hope that our teams can have a match too."

"I'd hold you to it." Yamato smirked.


	7. Gala-Interlude Chapter

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Inazuma Eleven GO/Galaxy.**

 **Sorry for not updating for a long time but I had writer's block. This is a continuation of the flashback in Chapter 3**

* * *

"Do you have any plans to increase the manpower of the team?"

"How does it feel to be the best soccer team in the country?"

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Are you dating anyone at the moment?"

"Will this affect your performance on the field?"

The last questions came as a shock to Kurosaki since she had no idea how to answer the questions. She and her coach had come into the building not more the five minutes and the reporters are pressing their questions at them. And they had yet to reach the main ballroom too.

Thankfully, Ishido sensed her unease at answering the questions so he decided to move on by answering them instead. "We are glad to have the title of the No. 1 Jr. High soccer team in the country. Our manpower will most likely be increasing as some of the senior members of the team are graduating this year. I believe the remaining questions are too personal and we should head in."

He firmly led Kurosaki away from the reporters with the help of some the guards holding them back and entered the ballroom.

"Thank you." Kurosaki breath out once the doors closed behind them.

Ishido nodded but gave the brunet captain a stern look. "You have to learn how to deal with reporters and uncomfortable questions. As the captain, you have to deal with them in the future more often now."

"I will." Kurosaki nodded resolutely. Ishido nodded in approval and headed into the crowd to mingle and act like the Seitei he has to be. Kurosaki on the other hand wandered off to look for her teammates. Given the size of the crowd in the ballroom, she had to maneuver around to avoid colliding with people. But even the most agile soccer players cannot avoid bumping into everyone.

Five minutes of maneuvering, she accidentally shouldered someone. When she turned to apologize, her eyes widen slightly as she recognized Hyuuga.

"Oh, sorry!" She quickly apologized while ducking her head. At the same time, she made her voice slightly pitched to prevent her friend from recognizing her.

"It's alright." Hyuuga reassured absently. He glanced at her briefly but showed no recognition of his captain. He quickly continued scanning the crowd for his captain, unaware that she was silently moving away whist laughing inwardly. Deciding to wait for a little while longer before showing herself to them, she blended into the crowd with ease.

Occasionally, she would stop to speak with someone regarding their win and the soccer team. And she would intentionally bump into one of her teammates but none of them gave her a second glance. If they did, they would have instantly recognized her. An hour later, Kurosaki smirked as she relished the fact that she won the bet eve if she didn't think that she would.

Enough was enough she guessed. So she slowly made her way to where the team was gathered. As she approached, she overheard Masaki and Tsutsumi whispering nervously.

"Have you seen her?"

"No. And the hour is up." Tsutsumi sighed resignedly.

"I never thought you guys would give up that easily."

Masaki and Tsutsumi jumped at the voice of their captain and spun around. Their eyes widen comically. "Kurosaki!?"

This caught the attention of the group and they swiveled their heads at the direction of their captain and their jaws dropped open.

"Kurosaki-san/Captain!?"

"What? You weren't expecting me to dress up like this?" She joked humorously, amused with her team's shocked expressions.

"No. I can't believe we didn't recognize you all this while." Hyuuga groaned, wondering how could he not recognize his captain earlier when she bumped into him.

Kurosaki chuckled and stroked her braid with a sly grin. "Pay up when we get back to school next week. And don't think about skipping out. I memorized all of you bets. Although, Amase-kun probably deserves a consolidation prize for accurately guessing how long it would take for me to show up."

Amase beamed up at that while the others groaned, mentally calculating how much spending they need to cut back to make due.

"Kurosaki Makoto?" A large suit man suddenly approached the group.

"Yes?" Kurosaki answered back politely.

The man whispered something in her ear that made her frown momentarily but quickly straightened up. "I understand."

"Kurosaki?" Masaki asked worriedly.

"It's nothing." Kurosaki waved it off as the man stood back. "Captain-duty call. I'll be back in a while."

"If you say so." Masaki replied but sounded uneasy.

Kurosaki gave them a firm nod and followed the man out of the ballroom and down a set of corridors, stopping in front of a large ornate door.

The man opened it and ushered her in. The room turns out to be an empty ballroom slightly smaller than the one that is being in used that night. And standing in the center was none other than Senguuji Yamato. Kurosaki scowled slightly as she stepped towards him, ignoring the man as he closed the door behind her.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Yamato cocked an infuriating smirk. "We're supposed to be dating so we should have our first date here."

" _Fake_ dating." Kurosaki stressed.

"Dating nevertheless." He countered back. "And unless you want to get into trouble with your parents and risk not able to remain on your soccer team, I advise you to go along with it."

Her scowl deepened at Yamato's threat. But she knew she had no other choice unless she wanted to risk her parent's wrath and that will not be pretty. So reluctantly, she accepted his hand and allowed him to lead her in a dance. Soft music played from the speakers hanging high from the columns in the room.

Kurosaki had to admit that Yamato was not a bad dancer but her guard was still up. The tension was still there and Yamato was not helping it at all with his smug talk about himself. It painful reminded her of him…

"So, tell me a bit about yourself." Yamato suddenly said, catching her off guard. She shook her head to make sense of what he was asking. If it had been him, he wouldn't let her say a word for herself at all. Maybe being with Yamato wouldn't be that bad after all.

"I'm a midfielder and captain for Seidouzan's soccer team, though I think you already know that. And I like reading."

"Never liked doing that." Yamato interrupted with a scrunch of his nose, twirling her.

Kurosaki rolled her eyes. For some reason, it was to be expected. "I'm not surprise. People like you don't seem to be the type of people who would sit down quietly. And I like cooking."

"Can do a little. But I'd rather not risk it or otou-san would have my head for burning the stove again." Yamato rolled his eyes. Kurosaki lightly giggled at that.

"I see. Do you play soccer?"

"Yup. Goalkeeper."

"Knew it."

"How did you guess?"

"Your hands are calloused like Masaki."

Yamato instantly narrowed his eyes. And suddenly, Kurosaki found herself pinned against a column. "What-!?"

"Now listen here!" Yamato grabbed her chin not too gently and forced her to look at him. "You are with me now so you are going to do as I say. And I don't want other boys touching you!"

Something inside Kurosaki snapped. This was supposed to be her team's celebration for their win in the Holy Road. But her parents and Senguuji had to ruin it completely by using her as a tool for their ambition and setting her up with a guy that does not respect her as a person.

She slammed her foot into his shin, making him wince in pain and loosen his grip on her. Taking advantage of that, she slipped out of his grasp.

"What!? What are you-?!"

But his voice died in his throat at the glare that the Seidouzan soccer team dubbed as the 'Paralyzing Death Glare'. "Listen here! I didn't agree to going out with you against my will just so that you can boss me around. You have no right to tell me what to do even though we are dating for the sake of our parents."

Yamato immediately nodded, unusually scared of her. Kurosaki calmed down and inclined her head at him. "If that is all, I should head back and rejoin my teammates."

Yamato gapped at her like a goldfish. As she was about to twist the doorknob, he snapped out of his stupor and dashed forward, slamming his hand against the door to stop her. "Wait!"

Kurosaki raised an eyebrow. "I believe we are done. So let me leave."

"No, we're not." Yamato had his cocky smirk again, but his eyes were wary in case he accidentally set her off again. He was not looking forward to that glare again. "You win. You don't have to listen to me bossing around. Hang out with your team as much as you want."

"Ok. Thanks." Kurosaki replied skeptically.

"But," Yamato's smirk grew and Kurosaki inwardly sighed, realizing there's a catch. "I get to plan all our dates."

She sighed and resigned herself to her situation. But compared to being pushed around by him and being prevented from simply being around her teammates, this was a better compromise.

"Alright, fine."

Yamato's smirk became a genuine grin and he opened the door for her. "Great. Our first date will be this Saturday. I'll text you the details later."

"Don't make me regret this." She warned him and then left to go back to rejoin her teammates in the main ballroom.

"'Don't make me regret this'" Yamato then chuckled. "Trust me, you won't."

"Are there any difficulties with her?" His father emerged from the shadows, addressing his son.

"No, otou-san." Yamato went over to his side. But at his father's knowing look, he ducked his head. "Maybe a slight hiccup. But it got ironed out."

"I imagine so." His father replied drily. "I think you enjoy her company a lot though."

"She's ok." Yamato shrugged. "Not taking the arrangement well, but not one to be messed with."

"Just remember that you have other commitments. I hope that this does not distract you from Dragonlink."

"Fear not, otou-san. Nothing about Dragonlink will change." Yamato reassured his father, sharing matching smirks.


	8. Soccer Ban

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Inazuma Eleven GO/Galaxy.**

 **Here's a new chapter and it takes place in Chrono Stone during the soccer ban period. This has to be my longest chapter yet.**

* * *

In just a few months after the disbandment of the Fifth Sector, things at Seidouzan was changing. Hakuba was released from the hospital and welcomed back with open arms. His injuries were healed but he took things easy for a while, so he mainly did some managerial tasks and strategies for the team. Slowly, he became more inclined in being a manager or off-field strategist than a player even when the doctor cleared him for sports. He still played on the team on occasion, but not as often as before.

The next change was a massive surprise for the whole team. True to his word, Yamato and several others from Dragonlink had transferred over, much to the chagrin of Masaki and most of the team. And Dragonlink responded in kind, not wanting to mix with what they consider to be an inferior team.

However, Kurosaki, with the backing of Gouenji, set things straight that they are on the team to play soccer and enjoy it, not prove which team is the better one. And to the surprise of the Dragonlink members, Yamato backed her up which subtly veiled threats of his father having words with them or whatnot. The same was for the Seidouzan team with Gouenji. And so, between the two captains, the Dragonlink members were integrated into the Seidouzan soccer club smoothly.

Unfortunately, the biggest change came in a form that no one could predict: the ban on soccer.

"What!?" The yell resounded through the clubroom from all of the members at the news Saginuma gave them. Said coach winced at the volume but he did not fault them for he was just as confused and frustrated at the ban.

"What going's to happen to the club?"

"We can't play soccer anymore?"

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know." Saginuma rubbed his temples in response to all their questions. "The school is going to close down the club today and wants all of you to transfer to different clubs by the end of this week, but at least until the ban lifts."

"What's going to happen to you then, kantoku?" Hakuba frowned.

"I'll probably have to go back to Hitomiko-san's place and work there temporarily or probably at the Kira Corporate." Saginuma muttered with a sigh, clearly not pleased that he lost his job.

Kurosaki frowned at his words. She was more concerned about something in his words than his lament. "Saginuma-kantoku, you sound as if you know that the soccer ban will be lifted."

Saginuma offered a small smirk at that. "Soccer will never be stopped forever. If I know Gouenji, he's working to have the ban lifted, just like all those who love soccer in the country."

His words comforted the players a bit, but that did not mean they were not afraid of their future without soccer.

* * *

"What should we do?" Tsutsumi sighed a few days later at the cafeteria during lunch. Despite transferring to different clubs, the former soccer club still sat together at the same table. "I want to play soccer again. But the ban…"

"Everyone is feeling the same all around the country. But it's getting harder to play now." Hakuba frowned. "I heard from my brother that the police force is on the lookout for anyone who is disobeying the ban. And there's a reward for anyone who turns in anyone playing soccer."

"My father had to close down his field at our home." Yamato grunted. "These government officials just showed up at our door and demanded that we either seal it up or dig it up. He chose the former."

Kurosaki's head tilted at that and frowned. "The field at the back?"

"Yes." Yamato slowly nodded, knowing what Kurosaki was trying to figure out. "The field is now under surveillance by drones. But hopefully not for long."

Kurosaki drummed her fingers on the table in thought, a plan forming in her mind. Later when she and Yamato were walking to his house for a study session alone, she asked the question she's been wanting to ask.

"When we were talking back at the cafeteria, you said 'field' as in singular?"

Yamato smirked good naturedly. "I knew you'll catch on."

Kurosaki smirked at the confirmation of her suspicions and cross her arms behind her back. "So, I was thinking." She said casually. "Since we're all in different clubs, we could meet up and have study sessions at your house, you know, just to hang out."

"Oh?" Yamato's eyes twinkled. "Just because I live in a _mansion_ as big as yours, I should host the _study sessions_?"

They shared a smile before laughing out loud at the quips, all coming from their time of 'dating'.

"So what do you say about it?"

Yamato thought about it for a while and nodded. "As long as I give otou-san a heads up, he won't mind."

"Great. I'll handle the arrangements. Think the rest of Dragonlink would want to join?"

"I'm sure they'll be thrilled."

* * *

And so, during the weekend, all of the former Seidouzan soccer club had gathered at the Senguuji mansion. None of them were thrilled that the only way for them to hang out was through a study group. But no one was going to turn down Kurosaki's suggestion, especially if it is her suggesting it. However, what they did not expect was to see the remaining Dragonlink players in the living room, chatting with Yamato.

"What are they doing here?" Masaki blurted out.

"The same reason Kurosaki called you guys here." Yamato smirked in answer as the Dragonlink players of Seidouzan greeted their friends whom they haven't seen in a while. The non-Seidouzan Dragonlink members were however equally disgruntled by the fact they had to work with what they deem as the inferior team.

"Knock it off guys." Kurosaki frowned, stepping between the two teams. "I did not invite all of you here just to judge who is the better team." She gave both sides her death glare to further emphasize her words. As expected, they backed off.

"I can see now why you are afraid of her and why you like her." Gomaki whispered to Yamato.

"She has that charm." Yamato shrugged.

"So what subject we are going to start on?" Hakuba asked, taking out his books out of his backpack.

"Actually, no, we're not going to do any study session." Kurosaki confessed, making everyone, except for Yamato, to look at her in surprise. She smirked and pulled out her soccer jersey from her bag. "I called all of us here to play soccer."

Blink…Blink…Blink…Then…

"WHAT?!"

* * *

It took a few minutes for Kurosaki and Yamato to calm their teammates down and explain that the government had shut down the outdoor soccer field, but the latter's father had a secret indoor soccer field in the basement that the goalkeeper, and occasionally Kurosaki, uses. Senguuji Daigo had not reported the field for the sake of his son to continue enjoying soccer. Of course, if the field was found, the family will be in big trouble. Hence the caution Kurosaki and Yamato had taken in smuggling the Seidouzan and Dragonlink soccer uniforms in and gathering the team.

After much convincing, both teams headed down into the underground field, changing into their soccer jerseys and spikes. Once read, both teams were on the field, leisurely kicking several soccer balls around. The joy of being able to play again was evident on their faces though they were still acting cautious in fear that someone would find them. Slowly, the caution melted away as they gave into their happiness of playing soccer.

"It's really great to play soccer again." Yamato said to Kurosaki when they took a water break while the others continued playing.

"Yeah." Kurosaki nodded in agreement as she wiped her sweat with a towel.

"Glad that you thought of this idea." Yamato murmured shifting closer to her.

Kurosaki tensed briefly at the closeness and shifted slight away from him nervously. She nodded in agreement with his statement. "Yeah. I hope that we can do this on a regular basis."

"We'll see." Yamato eased away but feeling slightly disappointed.

Unbeknown to them, Gouishi (another defender from Dragonlink) and Gomaki had seen the exchange.

"What's with him? I thought he already broke up with her." Gouishi wondered confusedly at Yamato's behavior.

Gomaki only smirked and shook his head. Gouishi was not part of the group that went to Seidouzan so it is no surprise he didn't know that Yamato has a real crush on Kurosaki. It was obvious to the Dragonlink members who went to Seidouzan.

Unfortunately for the goalkeeper captain, Kurosaki was not interested in having any romantic relationships at the moment as she wants to focus on her studies to get her parents off her back after the Fifth Sector shut down fiasco. But anyone can see that she cares for Yamato a lot even if she doesn't show it or know it herself.

Both teams were so engross with soccer that they let down their guard. And that was a huge mistake on their part. You see, Protocol Omega 3.0 was going around, finding people who were still playing soccer and seeking to stop them. They broke into the Senguuji mansion and hypnotized the servants and the butler to destroy the teams…And destroy they shall.

The hypnotized servants headed down to the field with the butler in the lead, soccer ball in hand. They silently approached the unsuspecting teens with blank looks. As soon as they were close enough, the butler shot the ball with Protocol Omega 3.0's borrowed strength thanks to the hypnosis at the back of Kurosaki's head.

Kurosaki felt the air stirring behind her and cocked her head around. She gasped when she saw the ball incoming and quickly kicked it back. Her eyes became wide in disbelief when she realized who the shooter was.

"Yamato-kun!" She yelled to get his attention, not taking her eyes off the intruding group. Thinking that she is in trouble, Yamato whipped around and he frowned in confusion at the butler and the servants. The others also stopped playing and frowned at the intruding group.

"What are you doing here? I told you that we didn't want to be disturbed."

"Something's wrong with them!" Kurosaki warned him.

"What?" Yamato's frown deepened and he looked closely. He saw what Kurosaki realized. All of the servants had blank look in their eyes and were staring at them unfocused.

"Let's play soccer." The butler sneered, extending out the ball.

Masaki and some of Seidouzan's players scowled at Yamato. "What's gotten into them?"

"I don't know!" Yamato snapped at them but was forced to avert his attention back to his home's employees when the butler spoke again.

"If you don't comply, we will call the police." He threatened. "Win and we will not call the police."

"…Fine." Kurosaki and Yamato begrudgingly agreed. The Seidouzan and Dragonlink teams moved aside as the servants took their places on the field with the butler being the goalkeeper. The total players they had was 8.

"What is wrong with them?" Hyuugu hissed, uneasy from their opponent's creepiness.

"I don't know. But, we have to defeat them if we don't want to be found breaking the law. And I for one do not want to get into trouble or put my father in jail." Yamato crossed his arms.

"And I agree with that." Kurosaki backed him up. Exchanging glances with Yamato, they had a silent conversation which ended with Yamato nodding and stepping back, allowing Kurosaki to take charge.

Kurosaki nodded back in thanks and slid the captain band up her forearm. "I'll be captain for this match." She picked out the members she wanted on her team. But Masaki became miffed when she picked Yamato as goalkeeper.

"Why is he the goalkeeper?" He complained, jerking his thumb at the pink haired goalkeeper who merely rolled his eyes, trusting Kurosaki to sort this out.

"Because," Kurosaki patiently explained, "They are Yamato's household staff so he might have an idea of what kind of plays they have."

"Do they even play soccer?" Tsutsumi raised an eyebrow at Yamato. Much to Seidouzan's surprise, he nodded.

"Yeah. Otou-san hired retired pro soccer players to train me here back then. All of the staff knows how to play soccer and I've played against most of them."

"Oh. Makes sense when you put it that way…" Masaki trailed.

With that settled, everyone got into position. The whistle was blown and the kick off started. However, it was very one sided. Despite being former pro soccer players and Yamato's knowledge of their plays, the servants were not to be underestimated. That and their plays are rougher than what Yamato remembers. That's why, all the way into the second half, they haven't scored a point while the servant's team gained 3. And majority of the Seidouzan-Dragonlink team sustained injuries and had to be switched out.

"What should we do, Kurosaki-senpai? At this rate, we're definitely going to lose." Hakuba panted heavily. Despite being switched in at the second half, he was losing stamina fast. Kurosaki had put him in to utilize his Hyperawareness OCD to reduce the players' injuries which worked thanks to his observations during the first half.

"I don't know." Kurosaki's brow furrowed as she wiped some sweat from her chin. She looked around and gritted her teeth in frustration. More than half of the team had been switched out and even that did not prevent the fresh players from sustaining injuries. She herself had some bruises and a close call in spraining her ankle.

She glanced at the goal where Yamato was just as tired as them and yet, he kept on pushing himself, not allowing her to switch him out for Masaki.

"We need to take drastic measures then." She muttered to herself. As the next kickoff started, she darted forward with the ball, summoning out her keshin.

"Enma Gazard!" The fire Keshin appeared behind her. With its strength, she barreled through the servants and passed the ball to Koizaki when blocked by one of the defenders. Then, she avoided a rough tackle by the defender and passed by him, the shockwaves of her Keshin throwing him off. Once she was clear, Koizaki kicked the ball in the air.

"You won't get past me!" The butler growled.

"We'll see." Enma Gazard cupped its hands under her feet and threw her up. "Bakunetsu Storm!"

The butler tried to reach the ball but a slight miscalculation made him slip and the ball hit his face instead before flying into the goal. Kurosaki gasped and quickly rushed to the butler. She only wanted to score a goal, not send the man to the hospital! Yamato also gasped and ran over.

"Are you alright!?" She and Yamato managed to help him sit up. The butler shook his head and blink blearily.

"What? Where am I?" He looked around in confusion. Behind them, the servants were also sporting the same look of confusion.

"Young master? What am I doing down here?"

"That's what I would like to know." Yamato crossed his arms. "You and the others just showed up down here and demanded a match."

The butler's eyes trailed to the servants who were gathering around them with mirrored disoriented and slightly fearful looks. His gaze then drifted to the players and gasped at their state. "We did this!?"

Yamato's silence and Kurosaki's reluctance to look at him in the eye was all he needed for a confirmation. Shrieking in horror, he and the servants bowed down low in fear.

"We are so sorry! We don't know what happened! One moment we were doing our chores and the next, we are here!"

"Please get up." Yamato awkwardly requested, aware of the awkward looks he was getting from his teammates. Thankfully, the butler and servants did as request.

"Let's head back to the living room and get everyone tended to." Kurosaki suggested after a moment of awkward silence.

* * *

A few moments after that, everyone was changed out of their soccer jerseys and back into their uniforms. Underneath them were bandages on some of the more serious ones and bruises on the less injured ones. The butler was also fine if not a bit shaken up. The same goes to the servants.

"Kurosaki, I hate to say this, but don't you think it would be best not to do this again?" Hyuuga spoke tentatively once they were all gathered in the living room and treated. Several others also nodded in agreement.

"We won't know if anything like this will happen again. What if it is someone else who comes after us and really call the police? We are only lucky that the servants snapped out of whatever it is before they could." Gomaki pointed out.

"And I just got off the phone from my sister who is teaching in Kidokaa Seishu. She said that several of her students from the soccer club experienced the same thing. They played soccer in secret and strangers showed up and demanded a match. They also had injuries after that." Hakuba relayed.

Kurosaki was silent throughout the meeting. She sighed and glanced at Yamato's direction. He only shrugged and made a gestured at her to make the decision.

"…Very well. We won't have another secret soccer practice session." She reluctantly agreed. But she gave them a faint smile. "I guess we just have to put our faith in Gouenji-san and hope that he can do something to lift the ban."

Everyone smiled faintly at that, thankful that they didn't offend the chestnut captain. With that, everyone decided to head back home or in the Seidouzan students case, the dorms. However, Kurosaki lingered behind and once everyone had left, she buried her face in her hands and curled up on the couch.

"No one wanted this to happen." Yamato said as he sat down beside her. "We don't blame you for what happened. You just wanted to help us to be able to play soccer again."

Kurosaki lifted her head with a blank stare at him. It scared Yamato and for once he wished that it was her Death Glare instead of the blank look he was getting.

"I should have trusted Saginuma-kantoku's words and let Gouenji-san fix things. But instead, I went ahead and arranged this. And now, more than half of our combine teams are hurt."

"And it was my household staff that attacked us." Yamato pointed out. "And it is technically half my fault since I agreed to have the secret practice match at my house."

Kurosaki's lips twitched slightly. "Wow, the mighty Senguuji Yamato taking the blame for something? That is something you don't see everyday."

Yamato only rolled his eyes at that. "Hey, I may be arrogant, but I can be honest and admit I'm in the wrong."

They shared a look and broke into light chuckles. They may not be a couple any more but they knew how to raise each other's spirits. They settled into a comfortable silence. Yamato then had the impulse to wrap an arm around her shoulder. Kurosaki stilled and Yamato realized what he had done.

"I'm sorry!" He quickly withdrew his arm. He mentally cursed himself. He knew that Kurosaki was uncomfortable with public display of affection by him since they are supposed to be friends and not dating anymore.

Kurosaki only shrugged it off but was tenser than before. She grabbed her bag and gave him a curt nod. "I better get going now. I'll see you at school on Monday."

"Ah…" Yamato tried to stop her but she was already heading out the door. He groaned and facepalmed. "What have I done?"

* * *

 **Haha. Poor Yamato. Anyway, I'll be doing the Resistance Japan arc next which I'm estimating to be around four chapters.**


End file.
